1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a pole for installing a string of decorative lighting, such as Christmas or party lights, in an elevated location. The pole is particularly useful for hanging light strings using pre-attached hanging clips or brackets that secure the light string to a gutter or to shingles.
2. Description of Related Art
Decorative stringed lights are commonly hung from elevated locations, such as gutters or from shingles. Typically, these lights are manually hung using a ladder, requiring the user to repeatedly climb the ladder to hang a single light on the string, climb down and move the ladder to the next location. This is a tedious and dangerous task. Alternatively, these lights may be hung with the assistance of a pole and a hanging adapter. The adapter is generally a two pronged, V-shaped hook that is attachable to common household poles, such as a broom handle or a painter's pole with a threaded end. The V-shaped hook does not securely hold the light string while it is being hung. The light string can slip off the hook, causing the lights to fall and the bulbs to break. Additionally, the V-shaped hook adapter merely hooks onto the string portion of the lights to lift the string to a clip or bracket already in place on the gutter or shingle. While this type of hanging adapter is helpful, its use requires the clips or brackets to already be in place on the gutter or shingles. If they are not already in place, then the user is required to climb the ladder to install them along the length of gutter or building on which the lights are to be hung, which is again tedious and dangerous.
A clamping type hanger, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,584, that is permanently attached to a pole is also known. This hanger has a jaw-like clamp that securely holds the string (wiring) portion of the lights, with the jaw being actuated between an open and closed position by a trigger on the pole handle. This type of hanger may cause damage to the wiring on the light string. Also, like with the V-shaped adapter, this type of hanger is not suitable for hanging a light string on a gutter or from shingles using clips or brackets unless those clips and brackets have already been manually installed using a ladder.